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Gamers Mind Blog: New Intern

April Apoong — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 21:04:58 +0000

I am a..ninja

Hi everyone, my name is April Apoong and I’m the new intern writer at andPOP.com. Yes, I am their first female game reviewer. I am currently pursuing creative writing at a Post Secondary level and reviewing and writing about games was a natural choice for me. Trust me, I’m no pushover, have you finished Tenchu Wrath of Heaven on the highest difficulty 100 percent? Ever gone on a 30 to 1 winning streak in Dead or Alive 2? Well I have! For these reasons and more I am bringing my zany writing talents to the shores of andPOP. So prepare to see some well written unapologetic video game centric works of literature.

Gamer’s Mind Blog: Infinite Ammo

Brett.Caron — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 17:14:39 +0000

Hey, doesn't that cloud look like... a person being impaled?

A Movie You Can Control: Cinema’s Effect on Video Games

Ever been watching a movie and wished you could tell the actors that what they’re doing is stupid? That you have a much better plan that would totally work, and if they would only do that instead, maybe the zombies wouldn’t eat them, or the comrade that was clearly going to inevitably betray them wouldn’t get the chance? Well I have. But with the advent of video games in recent years that seemingly make a conscious effort to mimic the pacing and immersive experience of a film, it’s almost like we have the ability to watch a movie that we’re also able to play through and control. For a classic narcissist such as myself, this is clearly the greatest thing to happen to video games since the B-button.

Obviously, cinema precedes video gaming. However, they are both rooted in the quintessential artistic question, “what if?” What if humans on a deep-space transport mission encounter a hostile alien life form that kills everyone but a woman who suspiciously resembles Sigourney Weaver? What if a plumber was somehow transported to a fantasy kingdom in order to save a princess who’s prone to being kidnapped? What if aliens had invaded Earth during World War II? Of course I have to stop sometime, but those are all killer ideas that would make great movies/games. Someone should probably write those down. You never know what could sell.

Whenever you rent a Star Destroyer, make sure you go for the full insurance coverage.

One thing that video games can offer that a movie can’t is an almost unlimited amount of time in which to tell the story. Audiences generally won’t sit through an 8, 12, or 32-hour movie, but put a controller in someone’s hands and let them interact with the story they’re experiencing, and you’d be surprised at how long their attention span will last. Of course, this is not to say that a game necessarily has non-stop action and interaction, but combining great action and cinematic sequences (cutscenes) often results in a very in-depth and engaging game.

When you watch a movie, there’s only as much story as the film can relate in it’s time limit. What’s that? I’m repeating myself? Not hardly, ladies and gentlemen. What I’m getting at is the director, the writer, and the actors are delivering information to a theatregoer, whereas in a video game, the gamer discovers additional information on their own. In Resistance and Resistance 2, we could pick up Intel documents, revealing even more of the rich story the actors and narrative help develop. So the gamer basically gets as much out of a game as he puts in, which puts video games at an advantage over the medium of cinema in how much of a story, or an interesting experience that they can deliver.

Something interesting that I’ve been noticing in games recently is that the shooting of cutscenes, or even gameplay, is developing and evolving similar to cinema. Think about Metal Gear Solid (here we go). To say nothing of the cutscenes, the gameplay itself was a revelation in how camera angles can set tension. Another great example of this is Resident Evil. Both of these games relied on not being able to see around the next corner until it’s too late, or tactically peeking around said corner. In addition to this, both of these franchises rely heavily on the element of surprise, much like a thriller or a suspense movie. Oftentimes it’s what you can’t see that defines tension in a game, or a movie. Try that theory with Sonic the Hedgehog. Even more recent games have featured the handycam style of filming, adding to the realism of the game experience. Going from the older style of side-scrolling to the 3rd person or 1st person views, and coming to the free-floating camera that can often be controlled by the player themselves, we have an experience that immerses the viewer/gamer in a way we haven’t seen before.

Ah, the peaceful serenity of Tai Chi.

Eventually, I really wouldn’t be surprised if video games overpowered the medium of cinema in popular culture. The sheer depth and breadth of a game can often be way more emotional and powerful than a film. On second thought, never mind that. People are just too lazy for that to ever happen. Send them to the cineplex, fill up their popcorn and extra large Big Gulp, and I’ll be trying to stop the Nazi zombiepocalypse.

Hey, Nazi Zombiepocalypse. That’d make a good movie.

Cheers.

Gamer’s Mind Blog: Infinite Ammo

Brett.Caron — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 22:39:00 +0000

Swords and Shields, or Cyborgs and Clones?

When you’re walking down the aisle in the store, shopping for a new game, do you pick up Oblivion or Fallout? Are you looking to fly a dragon or a hovercraft, swing an axe into someone’s face or kneecap them with a laser pistol? This week our big question is… fantasy vs sci-fi?

I myself am not really sure which I prefer. I was at Games Day Toronto 2009, which showcases the tabletop wargame Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 (and also the MMORPG Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning), I find myself to be drawn to both equally. So to put my personal curiosity to rest, and hopefully provide some entertainment in the process, here’s my List of Why Sci-fi is Better than Fantasy (or vice versa). Enjoy!

1. Heroes

Sci-Fi: Solid Snake – Metal Gear Solid (I,II,IV)

The ultimate badass. Genetically cultivated to be the perfect soldier, armed with the most cutting-edge technology in the world, and resembles Kurt Russell in Escape from L.A. (but not in a copyright-infringing way). Voiced by David Hayter, he has enough attitude for 10 Sam Fishers. Sure, he’s not a cyborg or a psychic, but he can rock the SOCOM pistol and assault rifle to take down anything coming his way. If his face-full of scowl doesn’t get them first.

Fantasy: Kratos – God of War (I,II)

The Spartan warrior who became the God of War, Kratos kicks ass and chews bubblegum – and there’s no bubblegum in Greek mythology. Wielding the Blades of Chaos, he’s a mass murderer with 10,000 or more kills under his belt – including the god Ares. Now, since we’ve all seen 300, we already know how unstoppably awesome Spartans are. Make that a Spartan wielding magical weapons and armour, plowing through a horde of demons, undead monsters, and warriors of the gods on a quest to rule Olympus? That’s pretty much the definition of epic.

2. Villains

Sci-Fi: Kessler – inFAMOUS

The mirror image of Cole, the hero of inFAMOUS, Kessler is a callous, driven, time-travelling superpowered fascist. It really doesn’t get much better than that. Kessler is the man who puts Cole through sadistic choices again and again, testing his morals and his strength. With electric powers “similar” to Cole’s, and the personal mission to push the hero to his limits until he breaks or becomes just like the villain himself, Kessler is the guy we love to hate. Plus, he kills puppies. Probably.

Fantasy: Sheogorath – Elder Scrolls IV – Oblivion

What’s better than a demon whose title is The Prince of Madness? A Prince of Madness who makes you his champion! Sheogorath is your mentor in Madness in the Oblivion expansion Shivering Isles. Obviously not a stable fellow to begin with, turns out he’s waging an eternal war… on himself. It’s the demonic equivalent of punching himself in the face just to prove how tough he is. And once you defeat his Orderly counterpart, he dubs you the new Prince of Madness. Being a massive narcissist, I would be remiss if I didn’t vote myself the greatest fantasy villain.

3. World/Universe

Sci-Fi: Milky Way Galaxy – Mass Effect

By far the most immersive and complex setting we’ve seen in a long time, Mass Effect really puts the perspective in a different shift as opposed to most sci-fi games. Humans have stumbled upon the means to travel across the galaxy, not earned it over thousands of years. Rather than a Starfleet or Galactic Empire composed of 90% humanity, or even 50% humanity, we have a galaxy who treats our solar system as a third-world country. Humans are interplanetary immigrants in a galaxy that doesn’t care. Only at the end of Mass Effect do we see the role of humans growing into a stronger presence. But as we interact with the various alien species throughout the game, we see disdain, curiosity, or hostility towards humans. Maybe more hostility if you’re playing Sheppard like the biggest dick in the galaxy.

Fantasy: Tamriel – Elder Scrolls series (III – Morrowind, IV – Oblivion)

The world of the Elder Scrolls is so detailed and developed I’m surprised I don’t pay taxes there. While Morrowind and Cyrodiil were both featured as the settings for the most recent games, they were each so intricate that they didn’t even need to feature the other 8 provinces of the continent of Tamriel. Several different races and cultures ensure diversity, while the terrain changes from area to area (albeit not drastically). With countless dungeons and many towns to explore, this world sucks you in and provides a beautiful backdrop for the events of the story to unfold over. And if you don’t like it, you can go to Hell – seriously. You can go to Hell. Except there’s portals all over the world, and it’s called Oblivion. But it’s basically… Hell.

So I really don’t want to make the call on any of these – I mean, I picked them, right? Do I have to do all the work around here? I’d like to hear your opinions on whether sci-fi or fantasy wins for Heroes, Villains, and Worlds. You can post your responses below.

Until next time, readers – Same Brett-time, same Brett-channel!

Cheers!

Gaming At A Glance : My Nintendo Rant.

sarge-ak47 — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:02:33 +0000

Today boys and girls we will look at an issue that has been debated by almost every games media outlet.

It’s an issue that’s very complex and honestly deserves to be dissected by a careful assessment, backed by numbers, by a group of very well informed analytical minds in the industry. Only then can such an issue be solved. Assuming there is a possibility of a solution. What am I babbling about, you ask? The Wii and its hardcore following.

Notice I said hardcore following, not titles.

There are plenty of Wiis out there, in fact if we were to combine the number of Wii units out there and then add up all the 360 and ps3 units.. The Wii would still have more units than them (not the ps2 and its monumental record though).

Granted titles like Wii sports were a pack in… And wii fit has sold amazingly well, but when it comes to the “hardcore games” which by definition are games that have depth and follow the typical gaming conventions that require mastery of skill, as well as providing depth and many layers to the game that a “veteran of games” can appreciate.
Hardcore games have also played another role, creating new art directions, pushing systems limits and creating more immersible and groundbreaking genre than you might think.

Sure titles like pixel junk and flower, world of goo and even Wii sports and fit are casual forays that create new art direction, game play implementations and over all, break new ground. But lest we forget what genre busting games like devil may cry, Resident evil 4, Call Of Duty 4, etc. have brought to the table? There are tons of titles that have pushed gaming into a new direction and caused some of the most delightful new creations to take light and become part of our gaming library.

This was apparent at E3, when show stoppers like Assassins Creed 2, Splinter Cell Conviction, Metroid other M, and Uncharted 2, showed us it’s never been a more exciting time to be a gamer.

But now I’m getting sidetracked, it’s not about hardcore gaming, its all about the Wii and its hardcore following.
I know many people who own a Wii; in fact of the 25 on my Wii message list only 6 are active online players. The rest seem to side with the other systems of choice. This saddens me since these people are not only missing out on some of the best games out there but they are holding back Nintendo and the third party Wii devs from investing in them for a reliable future in hardcore gaming. And lets face it, Nintendo will always make its key hardcore franchises for us, but it’s the shy third party developer that I worry of.

My buddy Roy is hardcore; he has all three systems and a PC rig decent enough to play any title… except Crysis.
Yet most people like him think the Wii is designed for their younger sibling, refuse to invest time into it and most importantly ignore some of gaming’s best offers exclusive on the Wii.

So, if you have a Wii…and an HD set, start by GETTING COMPONENT WIRES. If you can moan about the jaggy graphics then things will seem slightly clear in 480P. TRUST ME, it wont be as crisp as 1080p but it does make a dramatic difference. So now with a sharper resolution and more vivid color pallet (since component has 3 video inputs) you might want to next invest in a classic controller for the fighters (smashers) or if you are hardcore enough have already some GameCube controllers lying around. AND THAT’S IT. Your Wii is set to accommodate almost any title that comes your way. Face it, you dished out 40 bucks for that HDMI cable for the ps3… optical out for the 360 sound… this is the least you could do.

Now then, go and pay attention to the COUNTLESS hardcore titles out there, support them, play them… BUY THEM.

Oh but I hear there aren’t any? And most of them are kiddy! And there is no way I will play a MARIO GAME!
Shut up, sit down and OMG you couldn’t be more wrong.

Here is a list of the top of my head… of titles I can guarantee most Wii owners, especially the hardcore system hoarders have missed out on.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Zak and Wiki
Okami (Wii-make)
Resident evil umbrella chronicles
Resident Evil 4 (now with better aiming!)
Battalion Wars 2!!!
Victorious Boxers Revolution (surprisingly deep and fun anime game)
Guilty Gear accent core (the last we will see from the original developers)
MARIO GALAXY!
NO more Heroes!
House of the Dead Overkill
Madworld!
SSX Blur
Super Smash Bros Brawl
Tenchu 4
Deadly Creatures
METROID PRIME 3 CORRUPTION!
Boomblox
Da Blob
Rune Factory!
Trauma Center series!
Fire Emblem series

THE CONDUIT

you know what… I can honestly go on and on.
Go to any fan of gaming and check and see if they even have 4 titles from that list. I’m sure you’ll find they don’t.
The fact remains some of these titles innovate genres we have grown up with, most of them are designed for the hardcore in mind and all of them are stellar achievements in gaming.

See even I don’t own all of them, but I can say I’ve played and own a fair majority of them. These titles have made me realize that not all the coolest and most memorable moments belong on my ps3 or 360

Back when Mario Galaxy came out, all of my friends were stoked over Assassins Creed. GREAT Game BTW! But only one of my buddies saw how insane and amazing Galaxy truly was. Would you believe we played the game for 6 hours exploring the physics behind the title?

So what I’m getting at is this, you own a Wii, DON’T WASTE YOUR MONEY. Go out and make use of the system, recommend good games to people, after all, gaming is a social event, even if it’s a single player game. We have all discussed games like GTA 4 to death and Gears of War, even if we don’t own the game.

Go explore the Wii, support some of its best third-party offerings and its stellar first party titles before you declare it a last gen system or something your younger sister would play.

Casual gaming will only last so long before even these casual gamers will require something a bit more advanced to enjoy on the system.

I commend EA and its new take on sports, providing this year the best sports titles appearing on the Wii, let alone any other platform. Titles like Tiger Woods 10 which is the finest golf game out there and Grand Slam Tennis.

Madworld was an insanely fun game, yet few have played or heard of it. The same could be said for No More Heroes, which now has a sequel in the works despite it’s ho-hum sales record. But titles like metroid prime 3 need your attention. It’s hard to believe this game did not sell well where its prequel did amazing on the GameCube. Retro studios did a stellar job and you need to play it.

I will go out and say one last thing. THE CONDUIT is out now. GO play it… BUY IT. Support it!
It’s the first time someone has done a FPS well on the wii (prime 3 was FPA…adventure) the team has gone and made a game that’s fully customizable and houses an engine that will leave you breathless at times. It truly is a remarkable title on the Wii… GO GET THE CONDUIT plain and simple. You a hardcore gamer? Love your systems? Have a Wii… then GO out and Buy some good games for it… EXPAND YOUR MIND MAAAAN!

Gamer’s Mind Blog: Infinite Ammo

Brett.Caron — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:07:58 +0000

CHEATS – The Gamer’s Moral Compass

Up, Up, Down, Down, Up, Up, Up, Up. And all of a sudden, I can level select in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 on my Sega Genesis. So what if I don’t earn my way to the Ice Cap Zone? I’ve played this game 50 times already – it’s been done. But you’d never catch me sprinting through GoldenEye or Quake with God Mode on – ruins the game for me. So my cheating in games is based on convenience and sportsmanship (after a fashion). But am I the rule, or the exception to it?

Cheats and secrets have been around in games since 8-bit systems. I really wouldn’t be surprised if there was a cheat to make your Pong paddle bigger (and I’m not referencing the herbal medicine junk email we get every day). Back on the Genesis and NES/SNES, we had Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat codes to unlock characters, and Battletoads, Sonic and many other codes for level selection. Later, on platforms like the N64, Playstation and PS2, codes became a way to unlock secret features of the game, features that you couldn’t unlock without the codes. A great example of this is Star Wars: Rogue Squadron for the N64, which had a code to unlock the Naboo starfighter from Episode I. However, LucasArts only released the code after the movie had been released in theatres – so noone was unlocking that baby by accident a few days before opening weekend at the box office. Cheats and secrets are still a big part of games, but as the core gamer demographic grows out of the desire for codes (and more importantly, grows out of hard-core gaming into casual gaming), these become more rewards than hustles.

Not many games offer the good old codes and secrets these days – everything is either unlockable or achievements. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against unlockable secrets. It’s probably the best way to give the cheats but still ensure the player gets the full experience of the game. Beating every level in the game then being able to level select from the main menu is a perfect example of this. Or like Metal Gear Solid 4, where you earn the infinite ammo bandanna only after sneaking through the game without a single kill (or acquiring 5,000,000 Drebin Points, which requires mass murder – a challenge in and of itself) and the stealth camouflage if you can get through the game without being seen.

I suppose that the point I’m trying to make is that older platform games seem to endorse the childlike desire to just get everything at once, regardless of losing out on the real gameplay value. I wouldn’t enjoy a game of Monopoly if I stole a bunch of cash when noone was looking. Newer games reward skill and persistence with achievements, and the occasional secret. But it seems that the unlockables are fading away. Why is that?

Sometimes it ain't easy being a plumber in the Mushroom Kingdom

Well, one big example is that games aren’t as hard as they used to be. Hear me out! Most games now don’t have a finite health bar, like older games like… well every older game. Newer games like Resistance, Call of Duty, inFAMOUS, the latest in the Rainbow Six series and others have a replenishing health system where you might get hit a few times, but you’ll heal that damage as long as you stay out of harm’s way for 30-40 seconds. Try that tactic in Super Mario Bros. or Quake II. But those games had power-ups like health packs and invulnerability, which tended to compensate for the ease in which you could expire. Newer games make it harder for the player to die, which really does fit in with the changing demographic of young gamers growing up into more casual gamers. I don’t want to sit down in front of my PS3 and have to learn for an hour how this game works – I want it intuitive and fun. So that’s what we get. Games that don’t have the same depth as they used to (with some exception); so why would game designers bother with unlockables and codes and secrets that the average casual gamer won’t bother to unlock anyway? Answer: they don’t.

This, I think, is the major reason behind the achievements and trophies systems seen on the XBox 360 and PS3 consoles. An easy way to have a rewards system in place that doesn’t demand that the gamer in question lose their entire social life by trying to get through the game in under 6 hours without dying once or firing a shot standing on their head blindfolded (I’m looking at you, Metal Gear). So while I rue the loss of the symbiote suit and others we saw on the Playstation Spider-Man game, or the Naboo starfighter from Rogue Squadron on the N64, I find that my lifestyle lends itself better to the little pop-up at the bottom of my screen that tells me I just earned the trophy for 100 headshots (I mean, it was bound to happen eventually).

Until next time,

Cheers.

Gamer’s Mind Blog: You Asked For It.

Brett.Caron — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 20:03:52 +0000

Poet? Warrior-king? Egomaniac? If any of these words describe you, then we have something in common. This is good news, because I’m going to be writing for our new blog!

I grew up playing video games, like a good chunk of the men in my age group. That’s not to say I huddled in the basement with a controller 24/7, just that I enjoyed the classics growing up. I owned a Sega Genesis (and later a Sega CD) and for the cost of a kiss or two, I had frequent access to my neighbour’s Nintendo. She was Player 1. Not much has changed in my love life since then.

My brothers and I used to rent games from a small, family-owned video store not too far from our house. Which meant that for 2 dollars we could play a game for a week, and if we got bored of it there was another one next week. We only owned 2 games – the ones that came with the system. My parents were good with money.

So I’ve been a gamer through the old Genesis days through the N64, Playstation 2, XBox 360 and finally my Playstation 3 era. So until Sony releases a new console that massages my feet while I play, you can expect mostly PS3-related posts from this kid. I feel that I represent the everyman gamer, the casual gamer. The handsome, debonair, narcissistic gamer, with eyes that you could get lost in… sorry, I was looking at my reflection in the monitor.

Cheers.

Gamer’s Mind Blog: Game Ranting

Josh Salem — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 15:43:08 +0000

Hey andPOPpers, Josh here (senior gaming editor), chances are if you’ve read a game review on this web page in the past two years, it was written by me. We’re going through some big exciting changes on the gaming front at andPOP, we will be adding more content, more articles, more reviews, contests, interviews, and many more surprises over the next few weeks and I just wanted to get things rolling with what I hope to become a weekly blog.

I guess I would start by telling you all a little bit about my gaming habits. Ever since I was a wee young child I grew up with some form of video game controller in my hand, whether I controlled a pong paddle with it or a horde of orcs I have always enjoyed playing, and try to get as much gaming in daily as humanly possible. From Atari to Xbox 360, from action games to real time strategy games I love everything gaming represents. Whether you play to escape reality or due to being on house arrest, video games have the ability to entertain, educate, and bring people from all over the world together in this fast growing hobbyist lifestyle. My objective, my goal is to create some form of communication with the readers through this blog, and of course, to vent. After all, isn’t that what blogging is really all about?

So this week is the potential return of the greatness that is E3. Yes, the Electronic Entertainment Expo, the largest North American video game trade show of the year is taking place between June 2 and 4 in LA and I am stuck here, missing out on my dream gig for a third straight year. That being said however, I’m not OVERLY depressed, because we will be having updates posted throughout the week with regards to the biggest stories, the newest news, and the most embarrassing letdowns as the show progresses!

So there ya go, the first of many blogs to come from the gaming side of things. As we ramp up and revitalize the gaming section we are always open to suggestions. If you have anything you think should be here but isn’t, feel free to leave a comment and we’ll see what we can cook up.